Title: The Bridge on the River Kwai
Author: Pierre Boulle
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 200
Rating: 4/5
It blew my mind when I read Planet of the Apes, thought it was fantastic, and then learned that the guy who wrote it was also the author of The Bridge on the River Kwai. I’ve seen the movie, but not for a good few years, but I know a decent amount about World War II history and about the forced labour that was used to build railways in the Far East.
Boulle is a masterful writer and I’m keen to read everything else that he’s written, and I was particularly impressed by the way that he was able to capture the British attitude towards foreigners and the whole “stiff upper lip” thing. He was French, but he knows what it means to be British more than any British author I’ve come across.
All in all, it was a cracking read and one that I’d definitely recommend. It’s also a lot funnier than I was expecting, making it a well-rounded tale about the Second World War that won’t leave you feeling depressed.
